Chapter 162 Larry’s Arrival

    b73 /b

    +10 Free Coins

    Lucas reached out and pulled the te of shrimp toward himself. With long, slender fingers, he picked one up and began peeling it with a grace and ease that felt almost deliberate.

    Sloane found herself oddly drawn ito /iLucas’s hands.

    Watching him peel shrimp with those lean, well–defined fingers was unexpectedly soothing, almost mesmerizing.

    With a light twist of his fingers, the shell slipped away, revealing the tender shrimp meat. He ced the peeled shrimp into a small dish and slid it across the table to Sloane.

    “Eat,” he said, voice low and gentle,ced with a trace of indulgence.

    Sloane blinked at the dish in front of her, then casually picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite. “Thanks.”

    She remembered thest time she’d eaten with Lucas and the others—he’d peeled shrimp for her then, too. iMaybe /iihe /iijust /iisees /iime /iias /iia /iikid /iihe /iineeds /iito /iitake /iicare /iiof/ibi. /i/b

    Lucas smiled and moved on to the crab. His movements remained calm and elegant. He picked up

    the tools and skillfully cracked open the shell, extracting the delicate meat and cing it into Sloane’s dish.

    Sloane wasn’t one ito /ijust sit back and ept; she grabbed a piece of fish and dropped it into Lucas’s bowl. “You eat too.”

    Lucas looked down at the fish in his bowl, a flicker of surprise shing across his eyes before it quickly gave way to a soft, spreading smile. Whatever joy he felt, he tucked it away behind that gentle expression.

    Sloane, too focused on enjoying the food, didn’t notice the shift in him at all.

    After dinner, Lucas drove her back to her apartment.

    By the time he returned to his vi, it was already past ten. He opened hisptop and logged into the ount–Team 9.

    It was the handle he used on a hacker forum, back when he used to mentor a beginner brimming with passion for tech. That beginner had been Sloane.

    As he scrolled through their old chat history, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Back then, Sloane had a million questions, but she learned quickly and always grasped his

    b7:24 /bFrib, /bSep b5 /b

    Chapter 162 Larry’s Arrival

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    techniques with impressive speed. Her focus and determination had left a deep impression on him.

    “Never thought it’d be you,” Lucas murmured to himself, his voice filled with quiet wonder and warmth.

    Now that Sloane was officially a member of ckhawk, Mathilda, upon hearing the news, sent someone to pick her up from school and bring her to the Su family estate for a small celebration.

    Sloane hadn’t really wanted to go, but the opportunity to possibly dig into Conrad’s situation was too good to pass up–so she got in the car.

    “Sloane, you’re back.” Mathilda greeted her with a kindly smile and took her hand. “I heard you’ve joined ckhawk, I am so proud of you.”

    Sloane offered a polite, distant smile. “Thank you, grandma.”

    “Ms. Rivers, congrattions on joining ckhawk.” A smooth, gentle male voice sounded from nearby.

    Sloane turned her head and saw Larry standing not far away, holding a bouquet of flowers, a warm smile on his face. He was dressed in a tailored suit that gave him a look ofposed elegance.

    “Mr. Larry?” Sloane was a little surprised to see him there; she hadn’t expected it.

    Larry stepped forward and handed her the flowers, his tone sincere. “I heard you joined ckhawk and came by especially to congratte you. These are for you, I hope you like them.”

    Sloane was genuinely caught off guard. After all, they’d only met once, briefly, at the Houston family banquet.

    Still, she epted the flowers politely. “Thank you, Mr. Larry.”

    Larry gave a soft smile, his voice warm. “No need to be so formal–just call me Larry. We may have only met once, but I’ve always admired Ms. Rivers’s talent.”

    Sloane felt a flicker of wariness inside, though her expression remainedposed. “bYou /btter me, Mr. Larry